Adam Silverâs NBA is no better than David Sternâs. The lottery is still fixed.
If you want to see the lottery odds the league is pitching, take a look. But I have the real odds â and proof of the conspiracy.
Two years ago â before the lottery â I wrote:
The NBA no longer owns the Hornets, but is still committed to keeping them in New Orleans. With their arena improvements needing approval of the state legislature in July, the Hornets could ride the Anthony Davis buzz and ensure there are no hitches. The league spent a year-and-a-half trying to sell the team without finding a buyer, so maybe Tom Benson needed a No. 1 pick thrown in the deal. David Stern has also meddled in the Hornetsâ business before, in the Chris Paul trade. Davis would help Eric Gordon, and therefore Sternâs reputation, because Stern was the one who handpicked Gordon for the Hornets rather than taking the Lakersâ offer.
Of course, the Hornets got the No. 1 pick. It was so obvious.
And then last year, again before the lottery:
Stern desperately wants to create a Cavaliers-Heat rivalry to boost rankings, and to do so, he must make the Cavaliers better. Dan Gilbert remained loyal during the lockout, and especially after LeBron became the worst example of players seizing control from teams, Stern will reward Gilbert with a second No. 1 pick.
Yup, Cleveland got the No. 1 pick. Saw that coming.
Isnât it always convenient how the most-obvious team wins the lottery? That happening proves itâs fixed. If it were truly random, a team other than the one you know the league wants to win would at least sometimes get the No. 1 pick. But that literally never happens.
RELATED: Complete 2014 NBA draft lottery preview
Here are the true lottery odds:
Milwaukee Bucks
Odds of winning the lottery: 25 percent 100 percent
Wesley Edens and Marc Lasry just bought the Bucks, and they were determined to complete the sale before the lottery. Suspicious timing. Obviously, the NBA offered the No. 1 pick to grease the wheels. Thereâs no other explanation why a team Forbes valued at $405 million sold for $550 million. Milwaukee is worth that â only with a No. 1 pick thrown in.
Philadelphia 76ers
Odds of winning the lottery: 19.9 percent 100 percent
Last year, 76ers president Rod Thorn became the NBAâs president of basketball operations. Heâll reward his former employers with the No. 1 pick. Even if Thorn wanted to take the high road, the 76ers really forced the leagueâs hand here. By tanking, their attendance fell 2,848 fans per game from last season â by far the biggest drop in the NBA. The league canât afford to have such dismal numbers in such a large market, so it will expedite Philadelphiaâs rebuild.
Orlando MagicÂ
Odds of winning the lottery: 15.6 percent 100 percent
Cleveland lost LeBron James and then got the No. 1 pick. New Orleans lost Chris Paul and then got the No. 1 pick. Orlando lost Dwight Howard and then⌠Cleveland got the No. 1 pick. OK, I guess LeBron was worth two compensatory No. 1s. But now that the Magic deferred a year, theyâll get the top pick. The NBA doesnât let teams suffer too much after losing a superstar, and Orlando has paid its dues.
Utah Jazz
Odds of winning the lottery: 10.4 percent 100 percent
Though Andrew Wiggins is still the likely No. 1 pick, donât rule out Jabari Parker. Heâs more polished, and that could give him the edge in many statistical models teams use. So, the NBA will give the Jazz the top pick to ensure they get Parker. A Mormon star in Utah would have HUGE marketing potential. Parker could be bigger than Malone.
Boston Celtics
Odds of winning the lottery: 10.3 percent 100 percent
The Celtics are a flagship franchise, and they play in the Northeast, an area the NBA is biased toward. The last time Boston floundered, Kevin Garnett was conveniently sent there by former Celtic Kevin McHale. The Celtics have moles all over the the league. Theyâre leaning on their connections â established over years of excellent and money-making play â to get a No. 1 pick. The Boston market is too valuable to the NBA to allow another season like the last.
Los Angeles Lakers
Odds of winning the lottery: 6.3 percent 100 percent
Los Angeles is the biggest market in the lottery, and the NBA wants to keep putting the Lakers on national television. The league canât do that as long as they remain this bad. The No. 1 pick would turn the Lakers back into marketing giants and bring streams and streams of revenue to the NBA. Did I mention money? Money, so much money. This No. 1 pick, in Los Angeles, could swing billions.
Sacramento Kings
Odds of winning the lottery: 4.3 percent 100 percent
The Sacramento City Council will meet at 6 p.m. locally vote on whether to fund the Kingsâ new arena â essentially immediately after the lottery results are televised (show begins at 5 p.m. in California). The implication is clear: Give us the No. 1 pick, or we vote no. Now that the Sacramento City Councilors have made their demands, will the NBA acquiesce? Yes, yes it will.
Detroit Pistons
Odds of winning the lottery: 2.8 percent 100 percent
Andre Drummond has developed a cult following of fans, and the NBA sees potential. With Stan Van Gundy helping him to refine his game, all Drummond needs is another star. Then, the Pistons are set, and the league can market Drummond â whoâs young, charismatic and exciting â both locally and nationally. The Pistonsâ attendance is highly volatile, swinging based on the teamâs quality. Across the country, people will be drawn to Drummond â as long as he plays for a winner.
Cleveland Cavaliers
Odds of winning the lottery: 1.7 percent 100 percent
I donât know what Dan Gilbert is blackmailing the NBA with, but it sure works. Two No. 1 picks in three years is unprecedented in the current weight setup. Gilbert tried showing restraint on his golden goose, exercising his ability to get a top pick only every other year. But now, the Cavaliers owner is getting desperate. He traded for Luol Deng and Spencer Hawes and still couldnât make the playoffs, and Anthony Bennett sure deserves a mulligan. Gilbert will cash in again.
Denver Nuggets
Odds of winning the lottery: 1.5 percent 100 percent
Nuggets owner Stan Kroenke also owns the St. Louis Rams, who just drafted Michael Sam, the NFLâs first openly gay player. In the wake of the Donald Sterling scandal, the NBA wants to draw attention to its most tolerant owners â even if their most-notable acts came in another sport. Denver getting the No. 1 pick will put the spotlight on Kroenke and his open-mindedness at a time the league really needs people like him at the forefront.
New Orleans Pelicans
Odds of winning the lottery: 1.1 percent 100 percent
The team formerly owned by the NBA will definitely get the No. 1 pick. The league took over the franchise just to keep it in New Orleans, a point of pride after Hurricane Katrina. But the Pelicans still rank in the bottom third of the league in attendance. Anthony Davis has certainly helped. One more No. 1 pick will really get New Orleans over the hump.
Minnesota Timberwolves
Odds of winning the lottery: 0.6 percent 100 percent
The NBA owners held a lockout with a goal of breaking up the Miamiâs Big Three. Not only do the other owners not want super teams to be sustainable, they want to prevent them from forming by keeping their own stars â and they geared the rules toward that. Theyâll gear the lottery toward that too, giving Minnesota the No. 1 pick and a much better chance of keeping Kevin Love.
Phoenix Suns
Odds of winning the lottery: 0.5 percent 100 percent
The Suns were the only lottery team competing hard until the end of the season, and Silver will reward that. The new commissioner has shown a willingness to overhaul the draft system, moving toward a setup that no longer encourages failure. Heâs on record as interested in a play-in model for the final playoff spots, too â something that really would have helped Phoenix this season. But those type of big-picture fixes take time to implement. For now, Silver can just give the Suns the No. 1 pick as an end-around to achieving the outcome he believes should occur. Itâs like a team getting the ball when touching it last going out of bounds following an uncalled foul on the opponent â and we know thatâs approved in Silverâs NBA.
Commit these to memory now, or if you forget, check back after the lottery to see why it was rigged. After tonight, you only need to remember one of these outcomes â but then remember it forever and let all the sheeple know the truth.